Three States of Matter

5.2  Three States of Matter

 

  • Matter exists in three states, which are the solid, liquid or gaseous states.
  • The arrangement of the particles in matter determines the state of matter whether it is solid, liquid or gas.
  • The change of state of matter involves absorption or release of heat.

 

State of matter Solid
Shape Fixed 
Mass Fixed 
Volume Fixed 
Compressibility Incompressible
Space between particles Small
Particles arrangement Very close
Particles movement Vibrate in a fixed a position
State of matter Liquid
Shape  
Mass Fixed 
Volume Fixed
Compressibility Difficult to compress
Space between particles Moderate
Particles arrangement Close
Particles movement

Move freely

and collide with one another

State of matter Gas
Shape Take the shape of the container
Mass No fixed 
Volume Followe the volume of the container
Compressibility Compressible
Space between particles Large
Particles arrangement Very loose
Particles movement

Move randomly

and collide with one another

 Diffusion Rate in Three States of Matter

The rate of diffusion of particles in a solid, liquid and gas

Solid

- The gel turns blue after a few days

- The rate of diffusion of particles in a solid is lo

 

Liquid

- Water turns blue after two hours

- The rate of diffusion of particles in a liquid is higher than in solid

 

Gas

- Bromine gas fills both gas jars after 15 minutes

- The rate of diffusion of particles in a gas is the highest

Examples of change of state of matter

  • Water from wet items evaporates and becomes vapour through the process of evaporation
  • Freezing allows sweet creams to freeze and become ice-cream
  • Dry ice is used by ice-cream vendors to prevent their ice-cream from melting